Today, Tuesday 12th July, Courage, the international
organisation that protects whistleblowers and activists, launches a
major funding drive for core costs. We manage the legal and
public defence of truthtellers in the most politicised cases, from
Edward Snowden to Chelsea Manning, from Barrett Brown to Lauri
Love - and we fight for whistleblower protections and the
public's right to know generally. Two years on from our launch, we
have a fundraising target of £100,000 to secure. If we are unable to
meet our needs for core funding within the next month we will be
forced to step back our work.

Whilst we are just able to meet the immediate needs of our
current individual cases we are launching this drive for core funding
to enable us to stabilise, ensure we can pay the staff needed to
manage and coordinate these cases, grow our core projects and to be
better prepared to help the persecuted whistleblowers and activists
who request our assistance every day.

Courage currently manages seven individual cases, including that
of Edward Snowden, Courage's first case, which began when we ensured
his security by getting him safely out of Hong Kong and asylum in
Russia. We built and continue to run the most complete and searchable archive of all
Edward Snowden's revelations. Our other cases include Lauri
Love (who faces extradition to the US for alleged online
protests); the European coordination for alleged WikiLeaks
whistleblower Chelsea Manning; award-winning
journalist Barrett Brown, who is in prison for his
reporting on corporate surveillance; Matt DeHart, who hosted an
Anonymous server with documents destined for WikiLeaks; and Emin
Huseynov, whom we assisted in securing asylum in Switzerland when
he fled Azerbaijan amidst a human rights crackdown.

As we enter our third year the need for Courage becomes clearer
each day, with requests for our assistance coming in regularly. We
have also identified a number of areas where we are uniquely
experienced to make a difference. For example, regarding solitary
confinement in the US, whistleblower protection laws for the most
politicized cases in Europe, and technical and legal advice for those
thinking of blowing the whistle.

Sarah Harrison, Courage’s acting director and previously
investigations editor at WikiLeaks, will be focusing on Courage over
the coming months to ensure we are able to meet this need. She said today:

"I am pleased to be concentrating on this Courage funding drive
now. Courage's work goes hand in hand with the work I have done with
WikiLeaks over the last six years. It’s sorely needed, and I hope the
public will help us now when we need it most to ensure we are there to
help those that need us. If you wish to ensure Courage is around by
the end of this year, to assist our current beneficiaries, take on new
cases and expand our global work fighting for whistleblower
protections and the public's right to know, please support Courage's
core needs now."

We need your help to help those courageous enough to risk
everything for your right to know:

Courage (couragefound.org) raises funds for the legal and public
defence of those who risk life or liberty to make significant
contributions to the historical record. Courage runs the official
legal defence fund for Edward Snowden, as we will for others in the
future who expose and document wrongdoing. We campaign for the
protection of truthtellers and the public’s right to know, internationally.

This fund is for Courage's work of whistleblower protection and
advocacy worldwide. If you wish to donate to Edward Snowden's legal
defence directly please go here.

Your contribution will make a real difference to our work
supporting the truthtellers of today and the courageous whistleblowers
of tomorrow. We’re establishing a network that will serve long-term as
a safety net for whistleblowers in peril, present and future.

We need to finance legal teams, as few can afford to finance a
legal defence against state prosecution on their own.

We also need to resource public defence campaigns that draw
attention to the issues individual truthtellers have disclosed, making
their cases in the media and building support teams around the world.
Donating is the easiest, fastest, and most tangible way you can
support Courage now. If you are donating with a credit card or PayPal,
please click on the big orange "CONTRIBUTE" button at the
top of the page.

OTHER WAYS TO DONATE

Bank Transfers or EFT (for details on how to donate by cheque and how
to donate by Bitcoin please scroll to the end)

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